Electric contact.



A. H. NERO. ELECTRICAL CONTACT.

APPLICATION FIL'ED JULY 24,1917;

Patented Feb. 26 191%.

I MILKAHJIFTIIHITIIITTFLIP VID H. NERO, OF NEW BRITAIN, CONNECTICUT, ALSSIGNOR T0 THE ARROW ELECTNC COMPANY, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, A. CORPORATION OEE' CONNECTICUT.

ELECTRJICL CONTACT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented llFeb. 26,1212.

Application filed .1 uly 24, 1917. Serial No. 182,422.

To all -uw/n, t may concern.'

Be it known that l, Anvil) H. NERO, a citizen of the United States of America, and residing at New Britain, in the county .of Hartford and State of Connecticut, have 1nvented a certain new and useful llmprovement in Electrical Contacts, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to electrical contacts, and particularly to contacts for attachment plug receptacles, the object of my inventlon being to .provide a contact brush formed from sprmg sheet metal and of such construction that it is adapted to withstand repeated engagement with the jacks of an attachment plug without danger of excessive deformation.

1n the accompanying drawing.

Figure 1 is a vertical section through an attachment plug receptacle having asso ciated therewith a coperating plug shown in side elevation; A

Fig. 2 is a perspective of on'e of the receptacle contacts.

llt has been common practice heretofore to make a receptacle contact of the general form shown from 'a strap of spring sheet metal, one end of which is bent back upon itself to form a spring terminal or brush for engagement by a jack of a coperating plug. llt has been found, however, that repeated insertion of the jack into engagement withthe brush contact, especially careless insertion or a withdrawal at an angle to the normal direction of motion, tends to Hatten the brush against; the body of the strap and thus deprive the contact of the resiliency which is desired for its most eicient operation. To overcome this diiculty it is proposed to reinforce the contact brush by an auxiliary spring such as that shown in my recent Patent No. 1,231,417.

ll have now discovered that the contact brush can be efficiently protected against deformation by the simple expedient illustrated in the accompanying drawing. The construction here illustrated is for the most part of common type in separable attachment plugs, and comprises an insulating button 10, pierced at 11 and 12 to form onthe one hand, guide-ways for the jacks 13 and 14 of the coperating cap or plug element 15, and on the other hand chambers for the receiving contacts to which the invention particularly` relates. These contacts comprise straps 16 and 17 extending into the piercings 11 and 12 from the enter ing end ofthe butto-n 10 andbent back upon themselves at their outer ends to form contact brushes 18 and 19 with which the jacks 13'and 14 on the plug cap engage on the insertion thereof. The terminal strap 1G is carried by and riveted to the screw shell CODtaCt 20 on the button 10 while the strap 17 is carried down below the central boss 21 of the button and forms the center contact 22 thereof, being secured into position by a rivet 23, one end of which is embedded in the molded insulation out of which the button 10 is formed.

Atits outer end each strap 16 and 17 is connected to its brush-contact 18 and 19' respectively, by a return bend 24 which insures the spring action of each contact brush and causes a strong wiping action against the jacks 13 and 15,. Such a wiping action is very desirable to insure good electrical contact between these parts. Repeated insertion of the jacks however, or the careless manipulation of the plug cap 15, may result in the ironing down of the brushes 18 and 19 against the straps 16 and 17 to such an extent that the bends 24 are practically eliminated and the spring action of the brushes lost. 1 have found that this action can be absolutely prevented by forming in each strap a bump 25 adjacent the bend 24 and projecting into the space between the adJacent faces of the strap and the brush. rllhis bump maintains that portion of the brush adjacent the bend in substantially normal position even under pressure from the jacks which would normally deforrn the brush. 1t is impossible to iron down the bend 24 since in case of deforming pressure upon the free end of the brush by the jack, the brush bears against bump 25 and bends at this point as on a pivot so that the deformation, if it is occasioned at all, is confined to the free end of the brush and does not destroy the resiliency of the contact by flattening out the bend 24.

The safe-guard described is one which can be readily incorporated in the Contact brush at the time of its manufacture without additional expense other thanvgthe proper formation of the die 'which must in any event be u tllized to form the brush. Uf

course the contact can be applied to Hush receptacles or other devices using this type of terminal.

I cla m as my invention:

A contact for electrical devices comprising a strap of spring metal bent back upon itself at one end to form a contact brush togethe'r with a spacing bump formed in said strap adjacent the return bend thereof, and

extending into the space between the ad- 10 tact at said return bend by pressure on tbe brush.

In testimony whereof I have signed my 15 name to this specification.

ARVID NERO. 

